You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” – Psalm 27:8
A few days ago, God used the lyrics of a song in my weekly church service to convict my heart:
In the morning when I rise to meet you
In the morning when I lift my eyes
You’re the only One I want to cling to
You’re the first thought on my mind
-Cory Asbury, Endless Alleluia
How often has God been the first thought on my mind lately? When I wake up, the first thoughts are more often, “I wish I could hit snooze,” or “I better get this coffee going quick before I have to wake the kids and get them ready for school.”
My habit over the last 6 months has been to set my alarm for 30 minutes earlier than I need to wake up my children, so that I can attempt to get some time reading Scripture before I get caught up in the rest of the day. Despite this habit, however, my early morning reading has been out of duty more than desire lately. Granted, much of this is the fog of early-morning grogginess. But still – I found God convicting me – my heart does not cling to Him in the early morning, but to my to-do list and my desire for more sleep.
At Drawing Near to God, we have been walking together through the book of Matthew this spring. We have been looking at how the kingdom of God is revealed to us by the ministry of Jesus when He walked among us on earth.
How can our study of the kingdom change my heart into one that seeks God’s face early in the morning and all throughout the day?
Jesus came to announce the arrival of His kingdom here on earth. He came healing the sick and lame, bringing health and wholeness with Him wherever He walked. He came performing signs and wonders, and teaching with authority as He revealed the hidden kingdom of God. When He ascended to heaven, He promised to come back again soon.
We are here on earth, with our daily cares and worries. Unless something from without breaks into our world, we will be left in darkness. Jesus came, shining His light from His kingdom into our darkness, and the darkness has not overcome His light! He tells us this good news, that we are citizens of a different kingdom.
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. –Hebrews 13:14
The kingdom that Jesus revealed has come, but it is not yet fully here. The promise is for the kingdom of heaven to come down and make its real, physical, and final home here on a newly recreated and perfected earth. The good news of the kingdom is not just for today, but also for tomorrow.
In the book of Revelation, we get a picture of what it will look like when heaven comes down to meet earth.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people.” –Revelation 21:3
God’s goal has always been to dwell with His people. His heart has always been for us to seek His face! This is why He crafted the whole drama we see played out in Scripture – that you and I might be reunited with the God who made us and loves us.
The good news of the kingdom is not just for tomorrow, but it can also change how I live today.
Maybe I need to read the final promises that are written in Revelation chapters 21 and 22 a few more times until my heart is stirred to seek His face. The more I am convinced of God’s desire to dwell with His people, the more my heart will desire to dwell with Him.
Can you hear the voice of the Lord inviting you to seek His face? By God’s help, let your response be, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
